Sitting of 11 February 1952

Preamble
The House met at Two o'Clock
PRAYERS
[Mr. SPEAKER in the Chair]
DEATH OF KING GEORGE VI

  Messages of Condolence
  Mr. Speaker: In addition to the messages of condolence which I read to the House on Friday, I have received the following telegrams from other countries expressing sympathy in the loss we have sustained in the death of His late Majesty:
  Mr. Speaker, House of Commons, London
  I have to inform you that the Grand National Assembly, echoing the sentiments of the Turkish people, profoundly afflicted by the passing away of His Majesty King George VI, has during its sitting of 8th February, 1952, unanimously decided to convey to the British Parliament the sincere part she is taking in the sorrow of our friend and ally the British people. I should be greatly obliged if you would kindly transmit this message to the British Parliament, and accept my profound sympathies.
  REFIK KORALTAN,
  President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
  To the Speaker, House of Commons, London
  Deeply moved by the news of the death of His Majesty King George VI, I beg you to accept, and extend to the Members of the House of Commons, the sincere condolences of the National Council of Switzerland.
  KARL RENOLD,
  President of the National Council.
  Speaker of the House of Commons, London
  Having heard of the grief occasioned by the death of His Majesty King George VI, I express to you and through you to the honourable Members of the House of Commons the sorrow of the assembly over which I have the honour to preside.
  HECTO J. CAMPORA,
  President of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina.
  L. ZAVALLA,
  CARBO RAFAEL,
  V. GONZALES,
  Secretaries.
  To the Speaker of the House of Commons, London
  The German Federal Diet sincerely shares in the grief of the British people at the passing away of His Majesty King George VI, and expresses to the House of Commons its heartfelt sympathy.
  EHLERS,
  President of the German Federal Diet, Bonn.
  To the Speaker of the House of Commons, London, S.W.
  The House of Representatives of Berlin opened today's session, in the presence of the Commandant of the British Sector, with a ceremony in memoriam of His Majesty King George VI. I was instructed by the House to express to you, Mr. Speaker, and the Parliament, our deep and sincere sympathy in the great loss the British people have sustained by the death of His Majesty.
  Dr. OTTO SUHR,
  President of the House of Representatives of Berlin.
  To the House of Commons, London
  The news of the decease of His Majesty King George VI has been a cause of deep grief to the National Assembly of Austria. I ask you to accept the heartfelt sympathy of the Austrian National Diet.
  KUNSCHAK,
  President of the National Diet, Austria.

  Lying-in-State
  Mr. Speaker: May I now outline to the House the arrangements for this afternoon? At 20 minutes to four, we shall move in procession from this House to Westminster Hall. On arrival there, I would ask Privy Councillors to take up a position on my right, with the rest of the House on either side of me, to await the arrival of the coffin.
  After the service and the departure of the Royal Family, I will turn to the right and proceed towards the North Door, followed by Privy Councillors and other Members. I will then turn and lead the House, walking two abreast, past the coffin. I will return through St. Stephen's Hall to the House of Commons, where the Adjournment will be moved.
  Westminster Hall will then be closed and the catafalque prepared for the Lying-in-State, after which, at approximately seven o'clock, it will be possible for Members and their wives to view the Lying-in-State, approaching by way of St. Stephen's Hall.

MESSAGE FROM QUEEN ELIZABETH II
The Prime Minister (Mr. Winston Churchill)at the Bar, acquainted the House that he had a Message from Her Majesty the Queen to this House, signed by Her Majesty's own hand. And he presented the same to the House, and
it was read out by Mr. SPEAKER as follows, all the Members of the House being uncovered:
"I know that the House of Commons mourns with me the untimely death of my dear Father. In spite of failing health he upheld to the end the ideal to which he pledged himself, of service to his Peoples and the preservation of Constitutional Government. He has set before me an example of selfless dedication which I am resolved, with God's help, faithfully to follow.
ELIZABETH R."

MOTIONS FOR ADDRESS AND MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY
The Prime Minister: I have read with attention the speeches made on the demise of the Crown during the present century, beginning with the end of an epoch on the death of Queen Victoria. Mr. Balfour, Mr. Asquith, and Mr. Baldwin, as Prime Ministers or Leaders of the House, discharged the duty which falls on me today. I was a Member of the House on all those occasions and I shall follow, in what I say, the example of those eminent men.
I have three Motions to propose which, though they will be put separately from the Chair, should be read all at once, and I shall confine what I have to say in support of them, in accordance with precedent, within the compass of a single speech.
First, there is the Address to the Queen. I beg to move:
"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty to convey to Her Majesty the deep sympathy felt by this House in the great sorrow which she has sustained by the death of the late King, Her Majesty's Father, of Blessed and Glorious Memory;
To assure Her Majesty that His late Majesty's unsparing devotion to the Service of His Peoples and His inspiring example in the time of their greatest peril will always be held in affectionate and grateful remembrance by them;
To express to Her Majesty our loyal devotion to Her Royal Person and our complete conviction that She will, with the Blessing of God, throughout Her Reign work to uphold the liberties and promote the happiness of all Her Peoples."
We shall also resolve as follows:
"That a Message of condolence be sent to the Queen Mother tendering to Her the deep sympathy of this House in Her grief, which is shared by all its Members, and assuring Her of the sincere feelings of affection and respect towards Her Majesty which they will ever hold in their hearts."
Then there is the Motion for a message to Queen Mary:
"That a Message of condolence be sent to Her Majesty Queen Mary tendering to Her the deep sympathy of this House in Her further affliction and assuring Her of the unalterable affection and regard in which Her Majesty is held by all its Members."
All the three Prime Ministers or Leaders of the House whom I have cited reviewed the history of the reign that had ended and paid their tribute to the former occupant of the Throne. The reign of

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Queen Victoria had lasted over 63 years. It is now nearly 115 years since she assumed the Crown. King Edward VII did not complete the tenth year of his reign; King George V reigned for 25 years. and our late lamented Sovereign for 15.
With the end of the Victorian era we passed into what I feel we must call "the terrible 20th century." Half of it is over and we have survived its fearful convulsions. We stand erect both as an island people and as the centre of a worldwide Commonwealth and Empire, after so much else in other lands has been shattered or fallen to the ground and been replaced by other forces and systems.
When King Edward VII, so long familiar to his generation as Prince of Wales, passed away, both Mr. Asquith and Mr. Balfour dwelt upon his labours for the cause of peace in Europe, and many called him "Edward the Peacemaker." But only four years after his death we were plunged in war by forces utterly beyond our control.
King George V succeeded to a grim inheritance; first, to the fiercest party troubles I have ever seen and taken part in at home, and then to the First World War with its prodigious slaughter. Victory was gained, but the attempt to erect, in the League of Nations, a world instrument which would prevent another hideous conflict, failed. The people of the United States realise today how grievous was the cost to them, in life and treasure, of the isolationism which led them to withdraw from the League of Nations which President Wilson had conceived and which British minds had so largely helped to shape.
The death of King George V, in January, 1936, was followed in less than a year by the abdication, on personal grounds, of King Edward VIII, and the Sovereign whose death we lament today then succeeded his brother. No British monarch in living memory had a harder time. It is true that the party and constitutional quarrels about the House of Lords and Ireland seemed more violent under King George V than those which we have had among ourselves since, but the greatest shocks fell upon our island in the reign of King George VI.
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His first three years were clouded by the fears of another world war, and the differences of opinion, and indeed bewilderment, which prevailed about how to avert it. But the war came and never in our long history were we exposed to greater perils of invasion and destruction than in that year when we stood all alone and kept the flag of freedom flying against what seemed, and might easily have proved to be, overwhelming power.
The late King lived through every minute of this struggle with a heart that never quavered and a spirit undaunted; but I, who saw him so often, knew how keenly, with all his full knowledge and understanding of what was happening, he felt personally the ups and downs of this terrific struggle and how he longed to fight in it, arms in hand, himself.
Thus passed six more years of his reign. Victory again crowned our martial struggles, but our island, more than any other country in the world, and for a longer period, had given all that was in it. We had victory with honour and with the respect of the world, victor and vanquished, friend and foe alike.
Alas, we found ourselves in great straits from the exertions which we had made, and then there came, in the midst of the ordeals of the aftermath and of the problems which lay about us, a new menace. The surmounting of one form of mortal peril seemed soon only to be succeeded by the shadow of another. The King felt—as the Leader of the Opposition, who was his first Minister for so long, knows well—the fresh anxieties which thronged up against us and the disappointment that followed absolute triumph without lasting security or peace.
Though deeply smitten by physical afflictions, he never lost his courage or faith that Great Britain, her Commonwealth and Empire, would in the end come through. Nor did he lose hope that another hateful war will be warded off, perhaps to no small extent by the wisdom and experience of the many realms over which he ruled. As I have said, his was the hardest reign of modern times. He felt and shared the sufferings of his peoples as if they were his own. To the end he was sure we should not fail; to the end he hoped and prayed we might reach a period of calm and repose. We salute his memory because we all walked the

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stony, uphill road with him and he with us.
Let me now speak of his Consort, the Queen Mother, to whom our second Motion is dedicated. The thoughts of all of us go forth to her. It was with her aid that King George was able to surmount his trials. Let no one underrate what they were. To be lifted far above class and party strife or the daily excitements of internal politics, to be restrained within the strict limits of a constitutional Sovereign—in his case most faithfully upheld—and yet to feel that the fate and fortunes of the whole nation and of his realms were centred not only in his office but in his soul, that was the ordeal which he could not have endured without the strong, loving support of his devoted and untiring wife and Consort. To her we accord, on behalf of those we represent, all that human sympathy can bestow.
The third Motion is addressed to Queen Mary, who has now lost another of her sons, one killed on active service, the other worn down in public duty. May she find comfort in the regard and affection which flow to her from all who have watched and admired her through these long years when her example has inspired not only her family, but all the British people.
The House will observe in the Royal Proclamation the importance and significance assigned to the word "Realm." There was a time—and not so long ago—when the word "Dominion" was greatly esteemed. But now, almost instinctively and certainly spontaneously, the many States, nations and races included in the British Commonwealth and Empire have found in the word "Realm" the expression of their sense of unity, combined in most cases with a positive allegiance to the Crown or a proud and respectful association with it. Thus we go forward on our long and anxious journey, moving together in freedom and hope, spread across the oceans and under every sky and climate though we be.
So far I have spoken of the past, but with the new reign we must all feel our contact with the future. A fair and youthful figure, Princess, wife and mother, is the heir to all our traditions and glories, never greater than in her father's days,
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and to all our perplexities and dangers, never greater in peace-time than now. She is also heir to all our united strength and loyalty. She comes to the Throne at a time when a tormented mankind stands uncertainly poised between world catastrophe and a golden age. That it should be a golden age of art and letters, we can only hope—science and machinery have their other tales to tell—but it is certain that if a true and lasting peace can be achieved, and if the nations will only let each other alone, an immense and undreamed of prosperity with culture and leisure ever more widely spread can come, perhaps even easily and swiftly, to the masses of the people in every land.
Let us hope and pray that the accession to our ancient Throne of Queen Elizabeth II may be the signal for such a brightening salvation of the human scene.
Mr. C. R. Attlee: I rise to support, on behalf of all my Friends on this side of the House, the Motions which have been moved in such fitting and eloquent terms by the Prime Minister. I cannot but recall today that it is scarcely more than 16 years since I spoke in support of similar Motions moved by Mr. Baldwin on the occasion of the death of King George V. It is with deep sorrow that we mourn today the death at so early an age of his son.
Father and son alike served Great Britain and the Commonwealth and Empire with unselfish devotion. Both of them had to face the ordeal of war and earned the gratitude of the nation for the steadfast courage with which in times of great peril they led their people to victory. Both of them in their public and private lives set a noble example to the world and showed what true kingship meant in a democracy.
I admired and respected the great qualities of King George V, but I did not know him intimately. I was privileged to serve His Majesty King George VI as a minister for more than 11 years, and for more than six of those years I was his Prime Minister, and hardly a week passed in which I did not spend an hour in his company. I feel, therefore, besides the deep regret which all his subjects have at the passing of a great

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and good King, a keen sense of personal loss in the death of one to whom I was bound not only by loyalty and respect, but by affection. I received from him at all times the greatest kindness and consideration. The longer I served him, the greater was my respect and admiration.
We offer to Queen Elizabeth, to the Queen Mother, to Queen Mary, and to all the Royal Family our deepest sympathy in their great sorrow. We know that Parliament today is truly representative of the feelings of the nation. If any comfort can come to the bereaved in the knowledge that millions in Britain, in the Commonwealth and Empire and in other lands share their grief, they have it in full measure.
King George VI was not brought up with the prospect of succeeding to the Throne always before him. He had, therefore, the opportunity of leading a freer life than that which is imposed on an Heir Apparent. He was able to mix more widely with the people. He served in the Navy in peace and war, and lived the life of his fellow officers, sharing the same risks and enjoying the same comradeship. He made a happy marriage and, while doing the duties which his birth imposed, took his full part in the games and social activities which this country affords.
He took great interest in social questions, especially in the welfare of industrial workers. He grew to have a wide knowledge of social and industrial problems. He was never happier than when in the camps for boys of all classes which he organised, and when he joined in their games.
Happy in marriage and in his family life, it might well have seemed that his lot was cast in easy and pleasant places. But in circumstances of great difficulty he was called upon to take up the burden of kingship. He responded to that call with that high sense of duty which was, I think, his outstanding characteristic.
It was his fate to reign in times of great tension. He could never look round and see a clear sky. There were always dark clouds of anxiety. The early years of his reign were overshadowed by the increasing danger of war. Then came the years of war during which he shared to the full in the perils and anxieties of his people. When peace came, it did
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not bring tranquillity. Through it all his courage never failed. He never doubted that we should win through. He was exposed in London to the same dangers as his subjects. His devotion to duty and his ready sympathy with his people were an inspiration to all.
I know how much he desired peace and how great was his solicitude for his people. He felt, I think, at all times a burden of responsibility for their welfare, yet he was always cheerful. He had the happy faculty of setting people at their ease. Without loss of dignity he could converse with all sorts and conditions of people. He was a delightful host and the personal relationship which he established with so many people from all over the world was of great service to this country.
In all his work he had the help and support of the gracious Lady who was an ideal Consort. As Queen and wife and mother she won a firm place in the hearts of the people.
I have spoken of the King's sense of duty. He was a very hard worker. Few people realise how much time and care he gave to public affairs, but visitors from overseas were often astonished at his close familiarity with all kinds of questions. With this close study went a good judgment, and a sure instinct for what was really vital. During his reign there 'were developments in the Commonwealth, some of which entailed the abandonment of outward forms which a lesser man might have felt it difficult to surrender, but he was essentially broadminded and was ready to accept changes that seemed necessary.
His visit to South Africa and the projected visit to Australia and New Zealand which was frustrated by his illness were examples of his keen interest in the Commonwealth. In his own person he was a living and invaluable link to bind together the divers peoples of his realms.
When illness came to him he faced it with the same courage that he showed in war. His one concern was lest he should be prevented from doing his work.
When Mr. Baldwin spoke here 16 years ago, he said very truly that the influence of the Crown was very great and that it was due to the character of the occupant of the Throne. I think he was right. Certainly in these years no two people

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could have done more to strengthen it than King George and Queen Elizabeth. That Throne is firmly established in the hearts and homes of the people.
Only a few weeks ago we were listening to the King's Christmas broadcast. I am sure that as the years went by people liked more and more to listen to these talks addressed by a King to his own people. They realised that the man who spoke to them was sincere. They could feel in his tones that firm religious faith which was one of the sources of his strength. In King George we have lost a great King, and a very good man.
We turn to offer our loyal service to our young Queen. She comes to the Throne with the goodwill and affection of all her subjects. She takes up a heavy burden, but I am confident that she will sustain it. It is our hope that Her Majesty may live long and happily and that Her reign may be as glorious as that of her great predecessor, Queen Elizabeth I. Let us hope we are witnessing the beginning of a new Elizabethan Age no less renowned than the first. We hope that Her Majesty the Queen and her Consort may live long and prosperously and may see more peaceful days than those which fell to the lot of His late Majesty whose loss we mourn today.
Mr. Clement Davies: Today, in this House of Parliament, in this country, and throughout the Commonwealth and Empire, we are one people, one family, who together mourn the passing of our King, our leader and our friend. Associated with the sadness of our mourning is a high exalted pride that to us was given such a man as King, as leader and as friend.
With all that has been so well and rightly said by the two right hon. Gentlemen, we humbly express our own full and sincere concurrence. His personality, his character, his courage, both moral and physical, his conscientious, selfless devotion to duty, his modesty, his friendliness and understanding, his warm-hearted kindliness that has made the Royal Family a pattern to all to all these qualities tributes have been rightly paid throughout the world. With full hearts, in deep and solemn gratitude, we avow
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and confess our debt to him for his work, his care, his kindly thoughtfulness and, above all, for the shining example that he set as a son, as a husband and as a father.
He was the perfect, gentle knight, noble and gracious. Not only did he strengthen the foundations of the Throne, but he added to its stature. Better than any of his predecessors, he wrought and welded those ties which bind us so closely to the Throne—ties of deep respect and of warm affection.
To Their Majesties the Queen, the Queen Mother, and Queen Mary, and to Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret we humbly and sincerely tender our profound sympathy. There is so little that one can say or do that can assuage the pain of parting. Grief is sacred in its privacy. We can only stand in the outer curtilage of the home of mourning. We do so with heavy hearts, conscious of the bitter sorrow which is theirs.
To our Gracious Queen we swear our willing and ready allegiance. We know full well the heavy burden that she has now so courageously undertaken. She has as her own personal possession the loving devotion and affection of all her people. We are as one in our earnest desire for the welfare of herself and her family.
We pray that God, in His infinite mercy, will grant her health and strength. As she, in the words of her own pledge given on 21st April, 1947, dedicated herself to the service of her people, so we in our turn pledge ourselves in solemn dedication to Her Majesty to work for her and to work with her for the accomplishment of the great task—the welfare of all her people. God save our Gracious Queen, God bless our Queen.
Lieut-Colonel Walter Elliot: Mr. Speaker, in the suddenness of the stroke which has come upon us, the Father of the House is, I understand, not able to be present, and I think it is perhaps not inappropriate that support for these Motions should come from the back benches also, for the King in Britain is a King in Council, and Parliament is the completion of the Sovereignty of the Realm. The task before the Monarch is made infinitely

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easier by the knowledge, which I am sure the late King possessed and now the Queen possesses, of the support of this House and I believe of Parliament.
We had the experience of seeing through together the blitz, the attack upon London. I remember well the spontaneous revulsion of feeling in the House when it was suggested that it should quit London, and I believe the same feeling was shared by the late King. We saw it through together, and it made a bond of unity which I believe reinforced even the great bonds of unity between the King and his people which existed before.
If I may say one word about his Consort—a countrywoman of some of us—she today has all our sympathies and all our affections. It was an American, and not one of our own people, who wrote of her conduct in the blitz:
"But you put on your shining gown,
Your gayest smile, and stayed in town When London Bridge was burning down, My fair lady."
That was a spontaneous tribute, and all the more graceful since it came from others.
Today Parliament as a whole feels itself truly representative of the nation in these Motions which have been so ably moved by the Prime Minister and supported by an ex-Prime Minister and by a party leader. But I do not think support would be complete unless the House of Commons itself added a voice of its own in support of the Motions.
Question put, and agreed to. nemine contradicente.
Resolved:
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty to convey to Her Majesty the deep sympathy felt by this House in the great sorrow which she has sustained by the death of the late King, Her Majesty's Father, of Blessed and Glorious Memory;
To assure Her Majesty that His late Majesty's unsparing devotion to the Service of His Peoples and His inspiring example in the time of their greatest peril will always be held in affectionate and grateful remembrance by them;
To express to Her Majesty our loyal devotion to Her Royal Person and our complete conviction that She will, with the Blessing of God, throughout Her Reign work to uphold the liberties and promote the happiness of all Her Peoples.
Address to be presented by Privy Councillors or Members of Her Majesty's Household.
Resolved, nemine contradicente:
That a Message of condolence be sent to the Queen Mother tendering to Her the deep sympathy of this House in Her grief, which is shared by all its Members, and assuring Her of the sincere feelings of affection and respect towards Her Majesty which they will ever hold in their hearts.—[The Prime Minister.]
Resolved, nemine contradicente:
That a Message of condolence be sent to Her Majesty Queen Mary tendering to Her the deep sympathy of this House in Her further affliction and assuring Her of the unalterable affection and regard in which Her Majesty is held by all its members.—[The Prime Minister.]
The Prime Minister: I beg to move,
That Mr. Ralph Assheton, Viscountess Davidson, Mr. Clement Davies, Mr. Walter Elliot, Miss Horsbrugh, Mr. Oliver, Dr. Summerskill and Mr. Woodburn do wait upon Their Majesties the Queen Mother and Queen Mary with the said Messages.
Question put, and agreed to.
Several other Members took and subscribed the Oath or made and subscribed the Affirmation required by law.
Sitting suspended at Seven minutes to Three o'Clock until Twenty Minutes to Four o'Clock.
Then the House proceeded to Westminster Hall in order to attend the Lying-in-State of His late Majesty; and, having returned—

ADJOURNMENT
Resolved, "That this House do now adjourn till Tuesday, 19th February."—[Mr. Buchan-Hepburn.]
Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-three Minutes to Five o'Clock, till Tuesday, 19th February.

NATIONAL FINANCE
  Unrequited Exports
  Unrequited Exports
  Pre-War Japanese Debt
  Pre-War Japanese Debt
  PUBLIC BOARDS (EXPENSE ALLOWANCES)
  PUBLIC BOARDS (EXPENSE ALLOWANCES)
  COMMONWEALTH TIMBER RESOURCES
  COMMONWEALTH TIMBER RESOURCES
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
  Diphtheria Immunisation
  Diphtheria Immunisation
  Vaccination (Personal Case)
  Vaccination (Personal Case)
MINISTRY OF FOOD
  Retail Prices (Subsidies)
  Retail Prices (Subsidies)
  Slaughterhouses (Condemned Meat)
  Slaughterhouses (Condemned Meat)
ROADS
  Leet Bridge, Coldstream
  Leet Bridge, Coldstream
  Public Service Vehicles (Lights)
  Public Service Vehicles (Lights)
  CONTINENTAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS
  CONTINENTAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS
COLONIAL EMPIRE
  Finance Ministers Conference, London
  Finance Ministers Conference, London
  Students, U.K. (Forestry)
  Students, U.K. (Forestry)
  TRINIDAD-TOBAGO SHIPPING SERVICES
  TRINIDAD-TOBAGO SHIPPING SERVICES
  CIVIL DEFENCE (RECRUITMENT)
  CIVIL DEFENCE (RECRUITMENT)
FUEL AND POWER
  Capital Investment
  Capital Investment
  Anthracite Supplies, Caernarvon
  Anthracite Supplies, Caernarvon
  Electricity Supplies (Generating Costs)
  Electricity Supplies (Generating Costs)
  Opencast Mining, Midlothian
  Opencast Mining, Midlothian
  Private Premises (Powers of Entry)
  Private Premises (Powers of Entry)
  Departmental Responsibilities
  Departmental Responsibilities
SCOTLAND
  Law of Succession
  Law of Succession
  Limitation of Actions Law
  Limitation of Actions Law
  Civil Service (Reductions)
  Civil Service (Reductions)
  MIDLANDS BRICKWORKS SURVEY
  MIDLANDS BRICKWORKS SURVEY
  PALACE OF WESTMINSTER
  PALACE OF WESTMINSTER
HOUSING
  Bombed Cities (Steel Allocation)
  Bombed Cities (Steel Allocation)
  Development Scheme, Crosby
  Development Scheme, Crosby
  Spare-time Building
  Spare-time Building

Preamble
The House met at two of the clock, THE LORD CHANCELLOR on the Woolsack.
Prayers
2.6 p.m.
THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY): My Lords, before we proceed to the Business of the day, I should say that I understand that there are a number of Peers who wish to take the Oath. Peers who wish to speak on the Address and who have not yet taken the Oath should do so now. Arrangements are being made for others to do so after the return of noble Lords from Westminster Hall and before the Adjournment of the House.
The Lord Archbishop of York—Took the Oath.

MESSAGE FROM QUEEN ELIZABETH II
THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY: My Lords, I have the honour to acquaint your Lordships that I have received a Message from Her Majesty the Queen, signed with her own hand, which I shall beg the Lord Chancellor to read to your Lordships.
The noble Marquess thereupon left his place and presented the Royal Message to the Lord Chancellor on the Woolsack.
THE LORD CHANCELLOR (LORD SIMONDS): My Lords, the Message is as follows:
"I know that the House of Lords mourns with me the untimely death of my dear Father. In spite of failing health, he upheld to the end the ideal, to which he pledged himself, of service to his Peoples and the preservation of Constitutional Government. He has set before me an example of selfless dedication which I am resolved, with God's help, faithfully to follow.
ELIZABETH REGINA."
The Lord Chancellor then handed the Royal Message to the Clerk of the Parliaments who had come up to the Woolsack from the Table of the House to receive it.

ADDRESS OF CONDOLENCE
2.8 p.m.
THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY: My Lords, I rise to thank Her Majesty for the gracious Message which the Lord Chancellor has read to you and to move an humble Address to the Sovereign, the terms of which I shall now read:
"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty:
"To thank Her Majesty for Her Majesty's gracious Message: To convey to Her Majesty the deep sympathy felt by this House in the grievous affliction which Her Majesty has sustained by the death of our late beloved King, Her Majesty's Father, of blessed and glorious memory:
"To assure Her Majesty that the example of selfless public service which our late Sovereign displayed, His untiring endeavours for the welfare of His peoples and His fortitude in adversity will ever be held in reverent, affectionate, and grateful remembrance: and
"To express to Her Majesty our loyal devotion to Her Majesty's Royal Person, and our firm conviction that, under the blessing of Divine Providence, Her Majesty will, throughout Her Reign, further the happiness and protect the liberties of all Her peoples."
My Lords, I suggest that it may be convenient for the House to consider at the same time two further Motions, to send Messages of Condolence to Her Majesty the Queen Mother and to Her Majesty Queen Mary, which I propose subsequently to move in the following terms:
"That a Message of Condolence be conveyed to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother:
"Tendering to Her Majesty the deep sympathy of this House in Her bereavement;
"Assuring Her Majesty that this House shares Her sorrow in the irreparable loss which Her Majesty and the nation have sustained by the death of our beloved King, Her Husband; and
"Expressing to Her Majesty the reverence and affection in which Her Majesty will ever be held by this House."

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"That a Message of Condolence be conveyed to Her Majesty Queen Mary:
"Assuring Her Majesty of the deep and loyal affection of this House: and
"Expressing to Her Majesty the heartfelt sympathy of its members in the grievous loss which Her Majesty and the nation have suffered by the death of our late beloved King, Her son."
My Lords, with the passage of centuries, the position of the Sovereign in this country has greatly changed. He has ceased to be an absolute Monarch. He has surrendered, one after another, his main executive duties, which are nowadays performed for him by his Ministers, under whose advice he acts. By doing so he has become what is known as a Constitutional Monarch. But though by this evolution the actual powers of the Monarchy have been diminished, the influence which it can and does exert has, I believe, been maintained and, indeed, sensibly enhanced. The recognition that the Crown is above the storms and stresses of politics gives it a monumental strength which it did not possess before. It has become, in very fact, what its name implies—the Crown not only of our own national edifice but of the whole Commonwealth and Empire. That vast family of States and territories extends to every quarter of the globe. It includes peoples of every race, religion and colour, at every stage of development. Those peoples, so widely different in all other respects, are at one in this, their loyalty and respect for the Crown. It is that—and it may be truly said that alone—that holds them together. But such a position can, of course, be maintained only if the Monarch himself, by his personal life and the example which he sets, is worthy to occupy it; otherwise the whole structure will crumble away.
The responsibility that rests upon the Sovereign is indeed an immeasurable one. We in this country, during the last century, have been singularly fortunate in this respect. For over a hundred years we have been blessed with a succession of Monarchs who, by their personality and sense of public duty, have won the affection and the profound respect of their peoples. And in this long succession of noble Kings and Queens, King George VI, whom we mourn to-day,
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stands very high. In his own person, quiet, unassuming and humble, he yet showed more and more as the years went by, the pre-eminent qualities of a great Constitutional King. He was utterly devoted to the happiness and the welfare of his people. To these he dedicated his whole life. He rejoiced with them in their joys; he mourned with them in their sorrows. When the great test of the war came, so soon after his sudden and unexpected accession to the Throne, he showed himself entirely equal to it. With the advent of each new tribulation his stature grew and grew. Quietly, unostentatiously, he won his way into the hearts of his people.
He did not do this by any display of pomp or power. I imagine that no man ever valued less the outward trappings of royalty. He did it by bringing into his subjects' lives the serenity and brightness which irradiated his own. He and his Queen were the embodiment of happiness. Wherever they went, to the great functions of State, to the humble homes, to the hospitals, they brought a warm glow of happiness with them. It surrounded them like an aura. Even in the last years and months of his life, when his health was failing and pain and weariness came upon him, no word of complaint passed his lips. He faced whatever the future might bring, unconcerned and even gay to the last. That, my Lords, is courage of no mean order; it is, indeed, the highest courage. It is the spirit conquering the infirmities of the body. It was that simple faith and that high courage that, above all, won the love of his people and made him not only their ruler, but their own dear friend. The grief that we feel to-day has nothing formal about it; it is actual and real. Whether we knew him personally or not, we all feel that something kind and good has gone out of our lives. There can be few Kings of which that could be so truly said. My Lords, he has gone; but he leaves behind him a sorrowing nation.
To-day, our thoughts go out to the members of his Royal Family, so suddenly and so cruelly bereaved. We think above all of his widow, the Queen Mother, who trod with him so radiantly the way of life and who will for ever be linked with him in our hearts. We think, too, of his mother, Her Majesty Queen Mary, who, with his Royal father, handed down to him the great tradition

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of public service which he so splendidly upheld; of his younger daughter, our beloved Princess Margaret, and, finally, of the young Queen, who, so early in the springtime of her life, is called upon to assume the heavy responsibilities of government. To all of these I tender, my Lords, on your behalf, with our humble duty, our loyal and devoted sympathy. Her Majesty has already, at this solemn moment, shown that the destiny of the Monarchy is safe in her hands. She has, by the gracious Message that has been read to you by the Lord Chancellor, dedicated herself to the service of her country. To-day, with full hearts, we dedicate ourselves to hers. May God bless her and keep her! My Lords, I beg to move that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty.
Moved, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty:
To thank Her Majesty for Her Majesty's Gracious Message: To convey to Her Majesty the deep sympathy felt by this House in the grievous affliction which Her Majesty has sustained by the death of our late beloved King, Her Majesty's Father, of blessed and glorious memory:
To assure Her Majesty that the example of selfless public service which our late Sovereign displayed, His untiring endeavours for the welfare of His peoples and His fortitude in adversity will ever be held in reverent, affectionate, and grateful remembrance: and
To express to Her Majesty our loyal devotion to Her Majesty's Royal Person, and our firm conviction that, under the blessing of Divine Providence, Her Majesty will, throughout Her Reign, further the happiness and protect the liberties of all Her peoples.—(The Marquess of Salisbury.)
2.20 p.m.
EARL JOWITT: My Lords, it is difficult for me to add anything to the fine tribute which the noble Marquess the Leader of the House has paid. Yet it is fitting that I should identify those who sit on this side of the House with that which has been so well and truly said. But, in truth, on an occasion such as this, there are no sides to this House. The Monarchy is an institution which belongs to no Party. It is our common heritage. It rests far above the strains and stresses of domestic controversy. It emphasises
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the underlying unity of all the peoples of this country. My Lords, for that very reason, how much depends on the example which the Sovereign sets to all his people! We can, indeed, all join in thanking Almighty God for the life and example given to us all by the dearly loved Sovereign whose death we mourn to-day.
Never in our long history has a Sovereign, throughout his reign, been faced with greater or more continuous difficulties, or greater and more continuous anxieties. He succeeded to the Throne in unprecedented circumstances. After but a short time, he and his people were engaged in a most grievous war which threatened the very existence of our country and our Commonwealth. My Lords, we remember with grateful pride the example of fortitude and resolution which he set before us during the darkest days of that war, when he shared the experiences of his subjects in London. When, at long last, the war was over, this country found itself faced with immense problems and immense difficulties which, in their turn, called for a like fortitude and resolution. His late Majesty never failed us. He inherited a great tradition from his father, and those of us who are old enough to have served as Ministers of King George V can pay him no higher tribute than to say that his son, King George VI, notwithstanding all the difficulties confronting him, fully and amply preserved the traditions which he had received.
Our thoughts and our sympathies to-day go out to his mother, whose place is for ever enshrined in the happy memories of our countrymen. They go out in full measure to that gracious lady, Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who shared with him the anxieties of the age, sustained him in his trials, and supported him in all his endeavours. Their highest happiness, and the reward which they would most value, is to be found in the affectionate loyalty and love which all their peoples feel towards them. Just as we share with them in the sorrow and sadness of this time, so also we can share in their just pride in the fulfilment of a life of service so unsparingly given.
To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II we would tender our respectful and our affectionate homage. We are confident that under her our ancient traditions

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will continue, for she has already shown that her life is dedicated to the wellbeing of her peoples. It is, I fear, inevitable that the life of the Sovereign must be in some sense a lonely life. We must be thankful that she has by her side her Consort, the Duke of Edinburgh, who has so completely identified himself with the people of this country and with their way of life, and who has won for himself such respect and affection from all those many people who have been privileged to meet him.
My Lords, we can assure Her Majesty that whatever differences may divide us, we shall ever remain united in tendering to her our loyal, our dutiful and our devoted service. We pray that she may long be spared to reign over us.
2.28 p.m.
VISCOUNT SAMUEL: My Lords, I rise in accordance with long precedent to express on behalf of noble Lords on these Benches, our support of the Motion that is now before the House. In all the many tributes that have been paid from all quarters to His late Majesty King George VI, tributes sincere, simple and moving, due emphasis has been laid upon the character of the King as a man, as the head of a family happily united, as a man with personal virtues that are an example for the emulation of all. Here to-day, in this House of Parliament, it is right that we should think also of him as a Sovereign, as the central figure in the State, his character and influence an important factor in shaping the course of public affairs.
His reign fell in a seething time, crowded from beginning to end with momentous events. History cannot fail, I think, to lay stress, in particular, upon three of those events. First, necessarily, the war, deadly and destructive, facing us in this Island with even greater peril than existed at the time when the Spanish Armada was approaching these shores, or when the Army of Napoleon was standing at Boulogne. Secondly, we have seen the British Empire of the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries changing before our eyes in the 20th Century, into a Commonwealth of fully self-governing States, surely one of the major events in the history of the modern world. The third event—I state a fact with no touch of
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controversy, but a fact of the first significance in our domestic affairs—was the advent to effective power, for the first time, of a Labour Government, carrying a stage further that re-shaping of the framework of our society which has been so marked a feature of the present century. Any one of these events, or all three of them, might have led to situations in which the nation would have been cleft from top to bottom, perhaps with political upheavals and lasting antagonisms.
That has not happened; the main current of British history flows on, almost unperturbed. It has not happened, because of the sturdy strength of our Constitution, with the Monarchy at its centre. It has not happened, also, because of the character of the King who has been upon the Throne. Two men—the present Prime Minister and his predecessor—who can speak with greater knowledge than any others upon that subject, have borne witness to the painstaking care with which King George arrived at his decisions and the soundness of his judgment. And it is that which matters most of all. What is needed in a constitutional Monarch is not brilliance, or mere cleverness, or eloquence, but sincere good will and sound common sense. What is needed is that most valuable of all gifts—that when a choice of conduct and action has to be made, the choice shall be the one that proves to be right and not the choice that proves to be wrong. King George had that great quality, and it was that, more than all else, which brought success to his tenure of the Throne.
Never were that good will and that sound judgment more beneficially shown than at the critical and dangerous moment when the future relations of this country and India were in the balance. Among the messages received from overseas, perhaps the most significant was that from the Indian Prime Minister. Before bringing my observations to a close, I would venture to remind your Lordships of its salient sentences:
"During the last few years,"
Mr. Nehru has written,
"when the relationship between England and India took a new turn and was based on friendship and free association, I know that His Majesty played a considerable part in these developments which have done so much credit to both England and India and to the cause of peace. I was impressed by his

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thoughtfulness and understanding of us and our position, and we welcomed him most willingly as Head of the Commonwealth."
There, indeed, His late Majesty rendered great service.
King George was fortunate in having at his side wise and loving counsellors—the Queen, now widowed, who gave him that support and companionship that only a wife can give; the Queen Mary, distinguished all through her life for clear vision and prudent judgment. So, also, we feel sure that Queen Elizabeth, coming so young to responsibilities so arduous, will find through her happy marriage, most welcome to the nation, the support of a Consort who has already won in marked degree the respect and confidence of all who know him. Setting out on the great undertaking to which her destiny commits her, the Queen, upheld by the loyalty and affection of all her subjects, will find nowhere, at home or overseas, among the people or in the Councils of the State, a more heartfelt loyalty or a more sincere affection than here in your Lordships' House of Parliament.
2.36 p.m.
LORD TEVIOT: My Lords, in the unavoidable absence of my noble friend Lord Rosebery, I rise to add to the tributes already paid so ably by other members of your Lordships' House to our beloved King. Looking back on his splendid life, one cannot fail to be profoundly impressed by the undoubted fact that both in peace and in war there was no aspect of British life which did not enlist his personal interest and his sympathetic understanding. Much has been said about his devotion to duty. This was so; indeed, his deep and true affection for his people enabled him to carry out his stupendous task. There was depicted in him all the greatest qualities of our race—superb courage, endurance and a determination to overcome any difficulties that came his way, as was so clearly shown during the many weary months of suffering in his illness. His death means to us not only the loss of our beloved King, but the loss of a true friend, which perhaps may help us to understand in some measure how great a sorrow has come to his family, especially to the Queen Mother and to his mother, Queen Mary. He strove for unity within the Commonwealth and Empire, and for peace in the world.
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May God rest his noble soul and bless his devoted daughter, our beloved Queen!
Your Lordships will remember that inspiring broadcast of Her Majesty the Queen on her twenty-first birthday. I will read a concluding passage:
"I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great Imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do."
My Lords, now is the great opportunity for us all to respond to that gracious appeal, thereby setting up a living memorial to her great father, and to do all in our power to lighten the tremendous burden that has been set upon her shoulders so early in life. I most sincerely and deeply support the Motion so ably moved by the noble Marquess, the Leader of the House.
2.40 p.m.
THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF YORK: My Lords, in the unavoidable absence, through illness, of the most reverend Primate the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, I am rising to give expression to the profound sorrow which we on these Benches feel at the death of the King, and of our deep sympathy for the three Queens, daughter, wife and mother, and the other members of the Royal Family in their most grievous loss. For over a thousand years the Church of England has had the closest association with the Kings of England. Though in that long period there have been inevitable changes in the form of that relationship, successive Kings have continued to take both an official and a personal interest in the affairs of the Church, while the Church, day by day, has uttered its prayers for the welfare of both King and State. George VI showed repeatedly that he had a real interest in the concerns of the Church, and every Sunday, unless unavoidably prevented, he took part in its public worship. He had a simple but strong faith. This, I think, was shown by the way in which he not only authorised but often took the initiative in calling for days of National Prayer when there was special cause for national anxiety.
I should like for a moment to stress the active interest which the King always took in the industrial and social conditions under which so many of his subjects

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lived and worked. When Duke of York he made himself familiar, both by study and by actual visits, with the conditions of work in many shipyards and factories. Some twenty-five years ago, a man who was a recognised authority on these matters told me that the Duke of York had gained a most remarkable knowledge of questions concerning work in the industries of the country. This knowledge was deepened by his most successful Boys' Camps, in which he always took a most active and personal interest. These camps gave many a holiday which otherwise would have been impossible, and at the same time enabled boys from different schools and social surroundings to meet, to discuss and to play together. When the King ascended the Throne he was not widely known, but as he became known better he not only won the respect and admiration of his subjects for his great sense of duty and personal courage but, through his kindness and sympathy, his zest of life and his simple directness, he won, also, their abiding affection.
In the new Queen he has bequeathed us a rich possession. I have been present at various moving occasions in public life, but I have never felt more moved than I was last Friday when the Queen, for the first time, met her Privy Council, consisting of Elder Statesmen, all much older than herself. Youthful and alone, she stood at the table to address them. It must have been to her a trying ordeal, so soon after her Accession. But she spoke so clearly and directly, and showed such great possession, such modesty and simple dignity, that I am certain all who were present went away with the knowledge that the Queen had not only charm but the other and greater qualities necessary for her high position. We went away with the determination to do everything in our power to serve and to help her. We render her our homage, and with all our hearts we pray that she may have a long reign, happy and glorious.
2.45 p.m.
THE LORD CHANCELLOR: My Lords, manifold and eloquent and heartfelt have been the tributes paid to-day to our Sovereign Lord King George VI, who has been taken from us. Yet, with your Lordships' permission, I would, as Lord Chancellor and head of the Judiciary of this Realm, add a few words,
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dwelling on a single aspect of that life of Royal duty which has not yet been mentioned.
I suppose that to all of us it happens from time to time that old and familiar things, so old that their meaning, perhaps, is forgotten and they are taken for granted—it may be a line of poetry a verse from the Psalms, a familiar scene or figure—such things as these will, in an hour of deep emotion, suddenly be illumined with a new light, and an inner sense or beauty stands revealed. So it is for me, as I dwell upon certain words and phrases familiar to me in the law from my youth up. We speak of "The King's Peace"—what a noble conception is there! To be within the King's Peace, to lie within the protection of the King's strong arm, and to be sure of his justice. We speak, too, of "The King's Justice," and of "The Royal Courts of Justice." In grave words we address a jury:
"You shall well and truly try and true deliverance make between our Sovereign Lord the King and the prisoner at the bar …"
So, too, the Judge, when he takes his solemn Judicial Oath, swears that he will well and truly serve his Sovereign Lord the King. It is by these familiar words, unthinkingly, unconsciously, used in the common order of life, that we bear testimony to the truth that the King, under God, is the source, the fountain, of justice. It is he who, under the law, embodies the Rule of Law by which we live.
So, my Lords, I thought it right, in virtue of that office of which I have spoken, to add my voice to that of the noble Marquess the Leader of the House and the most reverend Primate, who have spoken of the part the King has played as King and as Defender of the Faith. For in the due administration of justice he took a close and abiding interest. It was part of his nature to be zealous that to all men, and in all things, justice should be done. As he was the fountain of justice, so he was just; and as the prerogative of mercy was his, so was he merciful. What man, be he King or peasant, shall want any other epitaph than this:
"He was a just man and a merciful one, and those who served him loved him well."?
But, my Lords, that is not all; that is not the end. The King is dead, and the nation's head is bowed in grief, and in humble thanksgiving, too, for the life of service that he gave; and our hearts

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go out in sympathy to our gracious Queen, to the Queen Mother, to Queen Mary, and to all the members of the Royal Family. But that is not the end. The King is dead; the Queen reigns: and we, the judges of this Realm, who swore an oath to her Royal father, renew that oath to-day: that, each in his office, we will well and truly serve our most gracious Sovereign Lady the Queen. So help us God!
On Question, Motion agreed to, nemine dissentiente, and ordered accordingly: the said Address to be presented to Her Majesty by the Lords with White Staves.

MESSAGE TO THE QUEEN MOTHER
THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY: My Lords, I beg to move that a Message of Condolence be sent to Her Majesty, the Queen Mother.
Moved, That a Message of Condolence be conveyed to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother:
Tendering to Her Majesty the deep sympathy of this House in Her bereavement;
Assuring Her Majesty that this House shares Her sorrow in the irreparable loss which Her Majesty and the nation have sustained by the death of our beloved King, Her Husband; and
Expressing to Her Majesty the reverence and affection in which Her Majesty will ever be held by this House.—(The Marquess of Salisbury.)
On Question, Motion agreed to, nemine dissentiente, and ordered accordingly: the said Message to be presented to Her Majesty the Queen Mother by the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Privy Seal, the Earl Jowitt and the Viscount Samuel.

MESSAGE TO QUEEN MARY
THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY: My Lords I beg to move that a Message of Condolence be sent to Her Majesty Queen Mary.
Moved, That a Message of Condolence be conveyed to Her Majesty Queen Mary:
Assuring Her Majesty of the deep and loyal affection of this House; and
Expressing to Her Majesty the heartfelt sympathy of its members in the grievous loss which Her Majesty and the nation have suffered by the death of our late beloved King, Her Son.—(The Marquess of Salisbury.)
On Question, Motion agreed to, nemine dissentiente, and ordered accordingly: the said Message to be presented to Her Majesty by the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Privy Seal, the Earl Jowitt and the Viscount Samuel.
THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY: My Lords, I beg to move that this House do now adjourn during pleasure until 3.30 p.m. this afternoon. In doing so, I should say for the convenience of your Lordships that if there are any Peers who feel that they wish to put on overcoats for Westminster Hall, it will be perfectly proper for them to do so.
Moved accordingly and, on Question, Motion agreed to.
House adjourned.
House resumed.

HIS LATE MAJESTY: LYING IN STATE
3.36 p.m.
THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY: My Lords, I beg to move that this House do now proceed to Westminster Hall. In doing so, I would announce that I have arranged, for the convenience of the House and, I hope, with your Lordships' assent, that the Officers of the House shall assist the orderly marshalling of our procession to Westminster Hall by indicating in turn when noble Lords are to move, either by categories or by Benches. Will noble Lords, therefore, be good enough to remain seated until they are called to take their places in the procession behind the Lord Chancellor? The Lords Spiritual will be the first to move after the Lord Chancellor and his Train and the Clerks at the Table, and they will be followed by Privy Counsellors. Peers on the Front Benches on either side of the House will move next, and, thereafter, noble Lords on the other Benches in succession, each side keeping level. I beg to move.
Moved, That the House do now proceed to Westminster Hall.—(The Marquess of Salisbury.)
On Question, Motion agreed to, and House adjourned accordingly to Westminster Hall to attend the Lying-in-State of His late Majesty King George VI.
4.40 p.m.
House returned to the Chamber of Parliament.
Several Lords—Took the Oath.
House adjourned at three minutes past five o'clock, till Tuesday, 19th February next.